More than two decades after Auckland’s Centrepoint community was shut down, one survivor says New Zealand is still failing to protect people from high-control groups.
Caroline Ansley, who lived at Centrepoint as a child, is joining forces with other cult survivors and their supporters in the hope their voices will spark change.
"Being in a cult as a child, I have a unique understanding of what it’s like to be an unprotected, invisible, hidden member of a community that people outside don’t understand," said Ansley.
Centrepoint became notorious for psychological manipulation, drugs, and sexual abuse. But Ansley says little has changed since its closure.
"Doctors and nurses don’t know any more, teachers don’t know any more. There’s no legal consequences for people who harm others in high-control groups. There’s no language to explain what happens in a cultic setting that helps survivors interact with people on the outside."
Now, survivors and advocates are working together to educate the public. Liz Gregory from the Gloriavale Leavers Support Trust told 1News the problem goes beyond one community.
"There’s been a collaborative network, some growing professionals who understand cultic harm and high-control groups. Gloriavale is not our only cultic problem in New Zealand," Gregory said.
Tristan Phipps, who left a church often referred to as the Two by Twos, has launched a podcast to share his experience.
"My support network now is not so much those that have left that same group, but those from other groups, talking about hard topics and doing that deconstruction process," said Phipps.
Advocates like Anke Richter, founder of the charity Decult, want government action.
"We need a state-run or government-funded anti-cult agency. It needs to support cult leavers, inform families, stop recruitment, and provide helplines," said Richter.
The group also wants a public campaign in schools, saying education is key.
"Information is immunisation, and cults restrict and close down information. Information is the unit of freedom," said Ansley.
With an estimated 50,000 current or former members of cults in New Zealand, advocates say the reach of high-control groups is far and wide, and the time for change is now.
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